Defend each option. Response should be one page for each case. Answer both questions per case. A. TSA Tries to Improve its Pay Structure, Chapter 12

TSA Tries to Improve Its Pay Structure Asa U.S. government agency, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a pay structure set within limits imposed by Congress and administered by the executive branch. So far, that structure has been less than ideal. TSA security officers are paid under an agency- specific structure, which includes eight pay levels. The bottom level sets starting pay in a range of about $28,000 to $41,000, from which they move up to a higher band of $33,000 to $47,000. Within each band, agents are paid more or less based on pay rates in the regions where they work. Part-time employees, who account for a majority of the workforce, are paid less. In some locations, TSA officers earn 30% less than the average income per person and less than they could be earning as security officers working for private companies. The pay structure has contributed to making the TSA one of the least satisfied departments of the federal government. Employee turnover has been about 17% overall and 27% among part-time agents. Turnover is especially high at airports where private security firms offer higher pay. In two recent years, the TSA hired more than 19,300 agents while losing 15,500 even as air travel was increasing. An investigation sponsored by the agency found that pay was the main reason agents quit. In the Best Places to Work survey, the TSA ranks 426 out of 432 federal agencies participating. Along with limited opportunities for career advancement, low pay is one of the top reasons employees give for expressing dissatisfaction. Some employees and union officials favor taking the pay decisions out of TSA's hands by moving employees on to the General Schedule pay structure that covers three-quarters of federal employees. The GS structure would set agents' pay at amounts between $990 and $9,700 more per year, and it would build in periodic salary increases. In the spring of 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would put TSA employees on the GS system; however, the bill did not pass the Senate. In late 2022, as part of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package President Biden signed into law, TSA agents received a 28% raise beginning in July 2023an average annual boost of $13,000as well as improved collective bargaining rules and the right to appeal management personnel actions through the Merit Systems Protection Board, a quasi-judicial agency. These latest actions now bring TSA working conditions more in line with other federal agencies. Questions |. Describe the economic forces affecting pay at the Transportation Security Administration. 2, Suppose you are advising the TSA as it plans to implement changes to the pay structure as described in the last paragraph. Offer some advice to the agency on how to communicate these changes